Turkey's ruling AK Party to expand overseas

ANKARA

Turkey's ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party plans to open nine more offices abroad, the party's deputy chairman, Mehdi Eker, said Friday.

Eker said the new "representative" offices would be based in the U.S., U.K., Russia, Germany, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia.

"AK Party does not have a manifesto that includes a vision exclusively on Turkey's domestic policy, but it is a vision about the world, humanity, and civilization," Eker told Anadolu Agency.

"So, it is quite natural that such a party has offices in world's important centers as legal contact points [of the party]. "

At the moment, AK Party has two offices abroad -- one in Brussels, and the other in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Eker also said that the opening of the new offices was instructed by AK Party Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Reporting by Aynur Ekiz:Writing by Ayse Humeyra Atilgan

ANKARA

Turkey's ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party plans to open nine more offices abroad, the party's deputy chairman, Mehdi Eker, said Friday.

Eker said the new "representative" offices would be based in the U.S., U.K., Russia, Germany, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia.

"AK Party does not have a manifesto that includes a vision exclusively on Turkey's domestic policy, but it is a vision about the world, humanity, and civilization," Eker told Anadolu Agency.

"So, it is quite natural that such a party has offices in world's important centers as legal contact points [of the party]. "

At the moment, AK Party has two offices abroad -- one in Brussels, and the other in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Eker also said that the opening of the new offices was instructed by AK Party Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Reporting by Aynur Ekiz:Writing by Ayse Humeyra Atilgan